Railway draft appliance



Sept. 23 1924. 1,509,690

w. J. REGAN ET AL RAILWAY DRAFT APPLIANCE Filed Sept, 12. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 23, 1924. I 1,509,690

w. .J. REGAN ET AL RAILWAY DRAFT APPLIANCE Filed Sept. 12. 1923 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 23, 1924..

UNITED STATES I V l,509,6 6

PATENT OFFICE.

YILLIAM J. BEGAN, OF WILKINSBURG, AND ENGCH GEORGE, JR, OF PITTSBURGH,

IFINFlSSZ'LVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE IVIGCONWAY '& TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTS- BURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

EAILVIAY DRAFT APPLIANCE.

Application filed September 12, 1923. Serial No. 662,267.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLrAM J. REGAN and ENOOH GEORGE, J12, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at VVi1- kinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, and Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Draft Appliances; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to railway draft ap' pliances and especially to bushings for lining the slots with which car couplers and yokes are commonly provided for the reception of a connecting key. By the use of the bushings, which are made of such thickness as may be required for a connecting key of a given size, a single coupler casting may be employed in conjunction with any of the sizes of keys now used or which may be deemed desirable.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a bushing of simple form which is securely maintained in assembled relation to the draft member with which it is associated, and which may be readilyapplied and removed.

The principal feature of the invention, generally stated, consists in providing a draft member having a key receiving slot therein with a continuous unitary bushing having projections on opposite sides adapted to engage the draft member so as to maintain the bushing in assembled position, the projection or projections on at least one side of said bushing being adapted to be inserted in the slot of the draft member and to permit said projections to have overlapping engagement with said draft member for the purpose of maintaining the bushing in assembled relation thereto.

A further feature of the inventionconsists in the combination with a draft memher having a key receiving slot of a bushing mounted thereon and extending into said slot, the bushing being formed upon one side with a flange adapted to have overlapping engagement with the draft member and being provided on the opposite side with one or more projections capableof be- Fig. 10.

ing bent to permit the bushing to be inserted in said slot and to bring said projections into overlapping relation with the draft member, thus maintaining said bushing in assembled relation to the latter.

Other features of the invention pertaining to particular relations of parts and advantageous details of construction will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings chosen for the purpose of illustrating the invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims:

Figure l is a horizontal sectional view of a portion of a railway draft mechanism embodying the invention, the key by which the car coupler and draft yoke of the mechanism shown are connected being illustrated indotted lines.

Figure 2 is a detail side elevation of the car coupler and the bushingassociated therewith. V

Figure 3 is adetail side elevation of the forward end of the yoke shown in Fig. 1, together with the bushing associated therewith.

Figure 4 is a plan View of the bushing for the car coupler.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the bushing for the car coupler.

Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line 66, Fig. 5.

Figure 7 is a detail side elevation of the bushing for the draft yoke.

Figure 8 is a sectional view on the line 8 8, Fig. 7.

Figure 9 is a view corresponding to Fig. 3 but illustrating a modified form of bushing for the draft yoke.

Figure 10 is a side elevation showing a car coupler and bushing therefor embodying a modified form of the invention.

Figure 11 is a section on the line 11-11,

Figure 12 is a detail plan view of the bushing illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11.

Figure 13 is a side elevation of the bushing shown in Fig. 12.

Figure 1a is a detail section on the line Pie-14, Fig. 13..

Figure 15 is a side elevation of a car coupler and associated bushing device, disclosing another modification of the invention.

Figure 16 is a horizontal section on the line 16 -16, Fig. 15.

Figure 17 is a detail plan View of the bushing device illustrated in Figs. 'and 16. Figure 18 is a side elevation of the bushing deviqeseen n ig- The-railway draft rigging shown in Fig. 1 is of a well known type involving key connected draft members one of which is the car coupler 1 while the other may be a draft yoke 2. These draft members are commonly connected by a key 3, indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, which passes through slots inthe coupler and the yoke,the-key slot of the coupler being indicated at 3 and those of. the yoke being shown at 4.

The bushing 5 which forms aiming for the slot 3 of the coupler is preferably provided as'a continuous unitary member which completely covers the walls of said slot so as to protect them from the wear of the key 3. Upon one side this bushing is preferably formed with a continuous marginal upstanding flange 6 adapted to be received in either of the recesses 7 with which the coupler is providedon opposite sides bordering the slot therein. At its opposite side the bushing 5 is preferably provided with a plurality of lugs or projections 8 adapted to extend into corresponding pockets or recesses 9, formed inthe outer faces of the coupler and commu nicating with the recesses 7 thereof. The

projections 8 are so disposed that the slot in the coupler 1 intervenes between them; and the recesses 9 for receiving the projections'8 are similarly arranged with respect to the slot 3. Either of the projections 8 is adapted to cooperate with either of the recesses 9 on opposite sides of the coupler 1..

and the flange 6 at one side of the bushing 5- is adapted to fit into either of the recesses 7 bordering the ends of the key slot. It will thus be manifest that the bushing is capable of being assembled with the car coupler'in several distinct alternative relations, thus making it possible to offer new surfaces to the Wear of the key from time to time and thereby postponing for a comparatively long time the necessity of replacing the bushing with a new one. The bushing 5 is preferably formed as a forging or of malleable metal and is capable of being bent, thus permitting the projecting lugs 8 to assume the positions shown in F igs.v 4, 5 and 6 when the bushing 5 is being assembled in the coupler and to bev bent, as. indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 6, to assembled position as shown in Figs. 1 and2 to maintain said bushing in place.

The bushings 10 for the slots 4 of the draft yoke preferably conform to the configuration of the slots so as entirely to cover the latter and form a completelining therefor. These yoke bushings, like that for the car couplerl, are preferably forged or made of malleable iron and are constructed as continuous unitary members. Each bushing 10 is provided at one side'with a plurality of lugs or projections 11 and at the opposite sides is formed with a plurality of projections 12, the projections 11 being disposed upon opposite sides of the neighborin slot 4 of the yoke and the projections 12 icing similarly arranged. On the outer faces of the yoke and communicating with the slots 4 thereof are a plurality of recesses 13 adapted to receive the pro ections 12, while the inner faces of the yoke are formed adjacent said slots with similar recesses 14 into which the projections 11 extend when the bush ings are mounted upon the yoke. The design of the bushing 10 is such that it is adapted to be mounted in either of the slots 4 of the yoke. When the lugs 11 and 12 of the bushing are in the positions illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, the bushings may be inserted in the slots 4; and when the said lugs are bent so as to cause them respectively to enter the cooperating recesses 13 and 14, the bushings are firmly maintained in assembled position on the yoke.

The modified form of bushing 15 for the yoke 2 illustrated in Fig. 9 is the same as the bushing 8 shown in Figs. 1, 3, 7 and 8 and heretofore described, except that it is open at one end and therefore does not form a complete lining for the slot 4. Other features of construction being precisely the same as those heretofore described have been indicated by corresponding reference numerals.

Figs. 10 to 1st, inclusive, show a modified form of construction in which the coupler 16 is associated with a bushing 17 forming a complete lining for the key slot 18. This bushing is formed at opposite sides with a plurality of lugs or projections 19 between which the key slot intervenes, the said lugs, when in assembled position, being adapted to enter corresponding recesses 20 formed on opposite sides of the coupler 16 and communicating with the slot 18 thereof. Either of the projections 19 on either side of the bushing is adapted to enter any of the recesses 20, thus enabling the bushin to assume a plurality of alternative assem iled positions with respect to the coupler. When the lugs 19 are in the positions indicated in full lines in Figs. 12, 13 and 11, the bushing 17 may be inserted in the slot 18 of the coupler. After the bushing has thus been inserted the lugs 19 are bent as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. let, causing them to enter the corresponding recesses 20 of the coupler, and thereby maintaining said bushing in assembled relation to the latter.

In the construction disclosed in Figs. 15 to 18, inclusive, the coupler 21 is associated with a bushing formed of separable sections 22 each of which is preferably identical. Each of these bushin members may be provided above and below the key slot 23 of the coupler with a plurality of lugs or projections 24 adapted to enter corresponding recesses 25 formed in the outer faces of the coupler adjacent the slot therein. It is preferred to provide both sides of the bushing members 22 with a plurality of lugs 24 rather than to form them at one side with flanges such as those indicated at 6 and well shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

When the lugs 24 are in the positions illustrated in full lines in Figs. 17 and 18 the bushing sections 22 may be inserted in the slot 28 of the coupler. Thereafter when the lugs 2e are bent so as to cause them to enter corresponding recesses 25, the bushing members are retained in assembled position. hen considerable wear has occurred on one part of the bushing device one set of lugs 24 on each of the bushing sections 22 may be bent to permit said sections to be removed and replaced in a new relation. When thus assembled the lugs 24: are again bent to cause them to enter the corresponding recesses 25.

It will be perceived that the invention provides simple and efiective means for protecting key connected draft members of a railway draft appliance against the wear of the key, and that devices of the character herein described are entirely practical for association with the slotted parts of railway draft rigging of the types now in common use.

We claim 1. In a railway draft appliance, the combination with a draft member having a slot adapted to receive a key forming an element of the draft appliance, of a continuous unitary bushing mounted on said draft member and extending into the slotthereof, said bushing being provided with means adapted to engage said draft me1nber to maintain said bushing in assembled position, and said bushing being adapted to be bent to cause said means to assume assembled position.

2. In a railway draft appliance, the combination with a draft member having a slot adapted to receive a key forming an element of the draft appliance, of a continuous unitary bushing mounted on said draft member and extending into the slot thereof, said bushing being provided on opposite sides with projections adapted to engage said draft member to maintain said bushing in assembled position, and said bushing being adapted to be bent to cause said projections to assume assembled position.

3. In a railway draft appliance, the combination with a draft member having a slot adapted to receive a key forming an element of the draft appliance, of a continuous unitary bushing mounted on said draft member and extending into the slot thereof, said bushing being provided at one side with a flange adapted to engage said draft member to prevent said bushing from moving in one direction and being provided at the opposite side with a projection adapted to be bent so as to engage said draft member and thereby prevent said bushing from moving in the opposite direction.

a. In a railway draft appliance, the combination with a draft member having a slot adapted to receive a key forming an element of the draft appliance, of bushing means mounted on said draft member and extending into said slot, said bushing means being provided at one side with projecting means for engaging said draft member to prevent said bushing from moving in one direction, and said bushing means being provided at the oposite side with a plurality of projections adapted to be bent into engagement with said draft member so as to prevent said bushing means from moving in the opposite direction.

5. In a railway draft appliance, the coin bination with a draft member having a slot adapted to receive a key forming an element of the draft appliance, of a bushing mounted on said draft member and extending into the slot thereof, said bushing being provided at one side with oppositely disposed projections between which said slot intervenes, said draft member being provided with oppositely disposed recesses between which said slot intervenes, each of said projections being adapted to be alternately received in each of said recesses, and said bushing being adapted to be bent to cause it to assume assembled position with respect to said draft member.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

WILLIAM J. REGAN.

ENOCH GEORGE, JR. 

